


The Message on the Tree

by YetAnotherPersona



Series: Cards & Souls 2020 [6]
Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YetAnotherPersona/pseuds/YetAnotherPersona
Summary: After his accident, a splinter of Doctor Gaster's essence finds its way into the world of Deltarune. He leaves behind a message before passing on. The first half of the story is told as a poem; the second, as prose.
Series: Cards & Souls 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911214
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	The Message on the Tree

**Author's Note:**

> This is an entry for [week 4](https://aminoapps.com/c/undertale/page/blog/week-4-deltarune-cards-souls-festival/5PBF_VuLJz2DaDY5BMRaon3WoE18rw1) of the Cards & Souls Festival on the Undertale Amino. The prompt is _"W.D. Number: Throughout the game, several easter eggs can be found hinting towards the man that speaks in hands. Make one up yourself!"_

_Oh_

_Hello_

_It looks like I’ve stabilised again_

_I wonder how long it’ll last this time?_

_I should apologise in advance_

_The structure here will be_

_Quite a bit looser than you’re used to_

_As it turns out, being shattered_

_Across space and time_

_Doesn’t do much for your sense_

_Of rhythm and rhyme_

_Nonetheless_

_It seems the fluctuations of the universe_

_Have granted me a minute or two in_

_Your presence_

_And for that I am grateful_

_I hope the time we spend together will be pleasant_

_These are pretty trees, are they not?_

_Such lovely red leaves_

_Would you believe_

_If I told you that in my home, there’s a town_

_Where it’s winter all year round?_

_The evergreens are seldom without their blankets of snow_

_Oh, that my existence could once again have such permanence_

_But, there you go_

_Wishes don’t always come true_

_I didn’t bring the Egg with me_

_But I don’t think it was here before I arrived_

_You develop an instinct for this sort of thing_

_A forest as, well... square, as this one_

_Would surely have square eggs as well_

_I can tell_

_Somehow_

_Anyway, this Egg_

_I feel like it might be important_

_But if I split again, I doubt it’ll survive the trip_

_They’re proverbially fragile things, after all_

_Tell you what_

_We’ll let fate decide: if someone comes by_

_Before I vanish_

_I’ll give it to them_

_Ah, hello there, human_

_I was wondering if I might interest you in..._

_No?_

_Well, I needn’t be here, then_

_The human left_

_It’s a shame_

_This is a nice place_

_I’d have liked to leave something behind_

_To prove I was here_

_I’ll put a message on the tree_

_Just a few words_

_Then I’ll be gone_

* * *

“Say, Susie?” Ralsei asked, pausing next to a solitary tree on the border of the path. “Did you and Lancer do this carving?”

“What? No!” Susie grumbled, glancing at the markings in the tree’s trunk. “Geez, why do you assume I’m behind every bit of vandalism in the Kingdom?”

“Sorry,” said Ralsei. “I was just wondering. I remember passing by here earlier with Kris, and the markings weren’t there then. I wonder where they came from?”

“Well, don’t look at me,” Susie grunted. “Or Lancer, for that matter. There’s no way he could carve something that detailed. And he’s, uh, not allowed to use sharp things unsupervised. So it can’t have been him.”

“I see,” nodded Ralsei. “Kris, do you have any ideas?”

Kris frowned and ran a hand over the markings. Faces, flags, pointing hands... the symbols lacked an obvious unifying theme, but the neat rows suggested some kind of meaning or purpose. They examined them for a moment, then looked at Ralsei and shook their head.

“Oh...” Ralsei said, disappointed. “Oh well! Never mind, Kris. It’s probably not important.”

Kris shrugged and turned away from the tree, leading the team further into the woods. For a moment they considered mentioning the strange man with the Egg that they met next to this tree, but they decided against it. It wasn’t a very important encounter, and if they brought it up Ralsei would just ask a whole bunch of questions that they wouldn’t be able to answer. Not worth the trouble.

And so the markings remained, undeciphered and unaccounted for, but still carrying the message of the one who inscribed them; a message that might be understood one day, even though the author had long since vanished.


End file.
